JPS5912887B2 - Connecting device used in rotational transmission system for testing - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a method for evaluating the occurrence of abnormal noise (diff noise) by driving an automobile differential device under the same conditions as when it is installed in a car. This invention relates to a device for connecting an input shaft (drive pinion shaft) of an allencial device and a drive shaft of a test drive machine.

In this type of test, it is required to create a situation as close as possible to that of an actual vehicle, so for example, if a test is to evaluate the abnormal noise generated by a differential system, the first thing to do is to The device is set with a rotational load similar to that applied by the drive wheels of an actual vehicle.
The drive shaft that receives the rotation from the test drive, which is assumed to be the engine of the actual vehicle, and transmits this rotation to the drive pinion shaft of the differential device is the propeller of the actual vehicle prepared for the test. Use the shaft itself. 35 Conventionally, the connection between the drive pinion shaft of the above-mentioned differential device and the test propeller shaft (drive shaft) was made using the combination flange of the U1 drive pinion, just as in the case of an actual vehicle.
A common method is to connect the propeller shaft with a flange yoke that constitutes a universal joint using bolts.

In this case, although the transmission of rotation from the test drive to the differential device is very similar to that of the actual vehicle, it takes a lot of time and work to connect and remove the drive shaft (propeller shaft) and drive pinion shaft. This will require a lot of effort. As a countermeasure for this, a shaft coupling attachment is attached in advance to the flange yoke that constitutes the universal joint of the drive shaft; It is conceivable to provide an arbitrary chuck function that can connect the drive shaft so as to transmit rotation, so that the drive shaft can be quickly and automatically connected to and disconnected from the drive pinion shaft of the day shifter.

However, with this configuration, the components of the control system from the hydraulic cylinder to the shaft coupling attachment have a negative effect on abnormal noise evaluation during testing, which is the primary requirement for this type of testing. This goes against reproducing conditions close to those of the actual vehicle, making proper evaluation difficult.

In view of these conventional circumstances, the present invention efficiently and appropriately connects a drive shaft that receives rotational transmission from a test drive and an input shaft of a device under test such as a differential device. The object of the present invention is to provide a coupling device for use in a rotational transmission system for testing, which can reproduce almost the same conditions as an actual vehicle during testing.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First of all, Figure 1 shows the outline of a testing machine for evaluating abnormal noises of differential devices. In Figure 1, symbol E is a fixed base, and F is a machine that moves up and down with respect to this base E. 3 shows a movable support structure that can be moved;

On a part of the base E, a box-shaped support housing 1 for supporting a differential device D, which is the machine under test, is arranged so as to have a flexible structure with respect to the base E by a spring 1a. . This housing 1 is a substitute for the axle housing to which the carrier of the differential device D is fixed when mounted on the vehicle. Lubricating oil is placed inside this housing 1 to create the same condition as on the actual vehicle. It's summery. In addition, slide shafts 6 that can be slid in the axial direction from both sides of the housing 1 are respectively inserted, and the ends of these shafts 6 are connected to both side gears of the differential device D located inside the housing 1. (not shown) is spline-fitted to enable rotation transmission.

That is, both of these shafts 6 correspond to the axle shafts of an actual vehicle, and by sliding each shaft 6, the connection to the above-mentioned side gear can be removed. The motor 5 provided on the base E applies a rotational load similar to the inertial load from the wheels of an actual vehicle to the differential device through the two shafts 6 mentioned above. On the other hand, the movable support structure F includes a motor 2 as a test drive device corresponding to the engine of an actual vehicle, and an output shaft 7 extending downwardly toward the differential device D on the supporting housing 1. is provided.

This output shaft 7 corresponds to, for example, a transmission output shaft in an actual vehicle, and is connected to the torque meter 3 from the motor 2.
, and receives rotational force through the belt 19. A drive shaft 4 corresponding to the propeller shaft of an actual vehicle is connected to the output shaft 7 by a universal joint 8. The rotation of the drive shaft 4 is transmitted to the differential device D mentioned above to carry out the test. but,
This coupling device for transmitting rotation will be explained with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the above-mentioned output shaft 7 is rotatably supported on a part of the movable support structure F, and the above-mentioned drive shaft 4 is connected to this output shaft 7 through a universal joint 8. , a shaft that is molded identically or almost identically to the propeller shaft of the actual vehicle is used.

A chuck C is connected to the lower end of the drive shaft 4 through a universal joint 16 different from the one described above, and the movable support structure F has a chuck control mechanism A that exerts an effect on the chuck C as will be described later. is provided. The structure of the chuck C is shown in FIG. 3, which is an enlarged cross-section of the main part of FIG. 2, FIG. 4, which is a cross-section taken along the line - in FIG. 3, and FIG. explain.

First, the universal joint 16 at the lower end of the drive shaft 4
Of the two yokes 11 and 12 that make up the drive shaft 4, the yoke 11 fixed to the drive shaft 4 has the same shape as the tube yoke of the actual vehicle, but the other yoke 12 is different from the flange yoke of the actual vehicle, and has a sleeve 12a extending downward. It is formed in one piece. The shaft portion 17 of the joining flange 18 is fitted into the sleeve 12a with the center of the joint flange 18 by splines or serrations, and a bolt 1 is inserted through the shaft center of the shaft portion 17.
4 and a nut 14a screwed thereto, the shaft portion 17 and the yoke 12 are integrated. In addition,
As shown in FIG. 3, the differential device D, which is the machine under test, has a companion flange 9 fixed to the end of the drive pinion shaft 10, which is the input shaft.

This companion flange 9 has a centering recess 9 for centering the joint with respect to the flange yoke in the actual vehicle state.
a, and a plurality of (usually four) bolt insertion holes 9b for bolt connection to the flange yoke. The joining flange 18 is integrally formed with a centering convex portion 18a on its lower surface that can fit into the centering recess 9a of the companion flange 9, and also has a plurality of bolt insertion holes of the companion flange 9. 9
Insertable torque transmitting pins 18b are fixed to some (for example, two) of the pins b.

The reason why the tip of the torque transmitting pin 18b is spherical as shown in FIG. 3 is to facilitate insertion into the bolt insertion hole 9b of the companion flange 9. Junction 7 flange 18 further includes the following configuration.

That is, three slits 22 (see FIG. 4) with which the three chuck claws 20 are engaged, and a slope 23 formed a little inward from the outer periphery of the slits 22 as shown in FIG. The configuration includes These three slits 22 are formed from the outer edge of the joining flange 18, which has a larger diameter than the companion flange 9, toward the center, and are equally spaced from each other in the circumferential direction. The slope 23 is formed so that its outer edge and the outer periphery of the companion flange 9 substantially coincide with each other. This slope 23 expands or contracts each chuck pawl 20 as described below by interacting with the slope 24 of each chuck pawl 20, which will be described later. A holder 15 is attached to the upper surface of the joint flange 18 in the drawing so that the shaft portion 17 thereof can be slid in the axial direction. The shape of this holder 15, as shown in FIG. 3, is a bottomless cylindrical shape, and the upper surface of the universal joint 16 facing the yoke 12 side is a small diameter cylindrical portion 15a. This holder 15 forms a chamber b1 between the joint flange 18 and the outer periphery of the shaft portion 17 (the outer periphery of the sleeve 12a in the drawing). They are assembled in a stacked manner with these center holes loosely fitted. The bottom surface of the holder 15 is open as described above, and the joining flange 18
A flanged cylindrical retainer 27 is bolted upward to the upper surface, and the upper periphery of this retainer 27 and the bottom periphery of the holder 15 are slidably engaged.

Therefore, the bottom surface of the holder 15 is virtually closed. Therefore, the holder 15 receives the spring force of the disc spring 13 and is always urged upward in FIG. 3, that is, in a direction away from the joining flange 18. The end surface of the small diameter cylindrical portion 15a of the holder 15 in the free state receiving this spring force is close to and facing the lower surface of the yoke 12 of the universal joint 16, as shown in FIG. Note that the holder 15 in this free state is attached to the disc spring 1.
Compression sliding is possible in order to approach the joining flange 18 side against the spring force of No. 3. As is clear from FIG. 5, a ring groove 29 is formed in the shoulder portion of the upper surface of the holder 15. As shown in FIG.

Furthermore, three straight grooves 28 (see FIG. 4) are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the holder 15, extending toward each slit 22 of the joining flange 18. And each straight groove 2
The upper end of 8 communicates with the ring groove 29 . on the other hand,
As is clear from FIG. 5, each of the three chuck claws 20 described above has a linear handle 21, and the above-mentioned slope 24 facing outward is formed at the lower end of this handle 21. A hook 25 is formed at the tip of a portion extending linearly from the lower end.

A locking piece 26 that protrudes left and right is formed at the upper end of the handle 21, and a pair of spring holding protrusions 30 are formed on the outer surface of the handle 21 near the locking piece 26. There is. Each of the chuck claws 20 having such a shape has each handle 21 aligned with the straight groove 28 of the holder 15, with each hook 25 facing the center of the joining flange 18.
The locking pieces 26 are fitted into the ring grooves 29, and the locking pieces 26 are respectively engaged with the ring grooves 29 to be mounted on the holder 15.

Further, the slopes 24 of each chuck pawl 20 are positioned opposite to the slopes 23 of the joining flange 18, and each hook 2
5 is located at a portion slightly protruding from the lower surface of the joining flange 18 through each slit 22 of the joining flange 18. However, since the positional relationship between the holder 15 and the chuck pawl 20 in FIG. 3 is shown at the time of completion of chuck, which will be described later, the positional relationship between the holder 15 and the chuck pawl 20 is slightly different from the positional relationship in the normal state. Note that each chuck pawl 20 mounted on the holder 15 in this manner can expand outward using the locking piece 26 as a fulcrum; It is elastically restricted by the binding action of a pair of ring springs 34 attached to the outer periphery of the holder 15 so as to pass through the spring holding protrusion 30 from the outside of the holder 20 . Next, the chuck control mechanism A for operating the chuck C will be explained. As shown in FIG. 2, the movable support structure F includes:
A pair of upper and lower elevating bodies 38 and 39 are installed.

Of the two elevating bodies 38 and 39, a guide bar 44 extending vertically is fixed to the lower elevating body 39, and the upper and lower ends of this guide bar 44 are connected to the pair of upper and lower support parts 42 of the movable support structure F, 43 inches! Slide bearing 3
6 so as to be slidable up and down. Moreover, the upper elevating body 38 is connected to the guide bar 44 described above.
It is slidably supported by a slide bearing 45. A drive cylinder 41 such as a hydraulic cylinder is attached to the upper elevating body 38, and its piston rod 5
2 is connected to a lower elevating body 39.

A back-up spring 40 is interposed between the cylinder 41 and the upper support portion 42 of the movable support structure F. A stopper 46 made of a stud bolt or the like is fixed to the lower support portion 43 of the movable support structure F, and the tip of the stopper 46 touches the lower surface of the upper elevating body 38 to define its lowered position. This upper elevating body 38
By defining the lowered position of the lower elevating body 39, the position of the lower elevating body 39 is also defined through the piston rod 52 of the cylinder 41. [4] The actual arrangement of the guide bar 44, drive cylinder 41, and stopper 46 is such that one cylinder 41 and one stopper 46 are provided in a row between a pair of guide bars 44, and both guide bars In this configuration, the drive shafts 4 are located at positions a certain distance from each of the drive shafts 44.

The actual arrangement of these components is shown in an expanded state in FIG. 2 in order to clarify their mutual relationship. Now, in both of the above-mentioned elevating bodies 38 and 39, the portion on the extension line of the drive shaft 4 has a wide opening, as is clear from FIG. 3.

In these openings, the universal joint 16 at the lower end of the drive shaft 4 and the chuck C are connected to both the elevating bodies 38, 3.
In contrast to 9, both cases remained in a non-contact state. First, an upper chuck release member 49 having a shape that covers the lower end of the first drive shaft 4 and the outer circumference of the universal joint 16 is attached to the opening of the upper elevating body 38 by means of a ball bearing 47.
It is rotatably assembled to this elevating body 38. At the lower end of the release member 49, an engaging edge 49a projects inward in the form of a flange. The engaging edge 49a is positioned so as to receive the shoulder 12b of the yoke 12 of the universal joint 16 from below with a small gap therebetween. In addition, the lower elevating body 39
A lower chuck release member 55 having a shape that covers the holder 15 of the chuck C and the joining flange 18 from its outer periphery is rotatably assembled to the elevating body 39 by a ball bearing 53 in the opening.

An engagement edge 55a protrudes inward from the upper end of the release member 55 in the form of a flange, and this engagement edge 55a also has a protrusion amount approximately equal to that of the engagement edge 49a of the release member 49. It is positioned so that it can come into contact with the upper surface of the holder 15 from above with a slight gap. In this way, the above-mentioned release members 49 and 55 are normally located in a separated state with a mechanical space, without interfering with the constituent parts of the chuck C in any way.

However, as already mentioned, since FIG. 3 shows the state when the chuck is completed, there is a slight deviation between the relative positional relationship of each member in this drawing and the positional relationship in the normal state. In addition, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the reference numeral 56 indicates the lower elevating body 3.
A proximity switch 9 is fixed, and 57 is a detection piece fixed to a part of the lower chuck release member 55. Subsequently, the functions of the coupling device having the above configuration will be explained.

The movable support structure F is lowered with respect to the differential device D set on the supporting housing 1 on the side of the base E while slowly rotating the motor 2 serving as the test drive. The lowering of the movable support structure F causes all the members provided on this structure F to be lowered while maintaining their relative relationships with each other. Therefore, the joining flange 18 of the chuck C approaches the companion flange 9 of the differential device D while rotating together with the drive shaft 4. The torque transmission pin 18b of the joining flange 18 is connected to the bolt insertion hole 9 of the companion flange 9.
While searching for b, both the elevating bodies 38 and 39 receive an upward force from the chuck C through the release member 55.

As a result, the backup spring 40 of the cylinder 41 is compressed, and a downward reaction force is applied to the chuck C. When the torque transmission pin 18b enters the bolt insertion hole 9b of the companion flange 9, the upper elevating body 3
8 comes into contact with the stopper 46. After checking this condition,
The 7 cylinders 41 are extended. When the cylinder 41 is actuated and its piston rod 52 is extended, the upper elevating body 38 moves upward and the lower elevating body 39 moves downward in a direction that widens the distance between them.

The magnitudes of the upward and downward forces at this time are as follows: The upward force is the thrust of the cylinder 41 minus the spring force of the back-up spring 40, and the downward force is the thrust of the cylinder 41 plus the back-up spring. The force is 40 times the force. Therefore, the downward force is greater than the upward force by twice the spring force of the backup spring 40. As a result, the engaging edges 49a, 55a of the chuck release members 49, 55, which had been close to each other, are vertically separated, and the upper engaging edge 49a is connected to the shoulder 12 of the yoke 12.
b, the chuck C is positioned, and the lower engaging edge 55a contacts the upper surface of the holder 15, and the chuck C is positioned.
is pushed down against the spring of the disc spring 13. Due to this compression sliding of the holder 15, the slopes 24 of the chuck pawls 20 are brought into pressure contact with the slopes 23 of the joining flange 18, and due to the mutual contact function of the slopes 24, 23, the chuck pawls 20 are pressed together. The hook 25 is operated to expand outward. At this point, the distance between the joining flange 18 and the companion flange 9 of the differential device D is narrowed, and the mutual centering uneven portions 9a, .
] 8a are fitted and centering is performed. However, although complete connection has not yet been completed, the rotation of the drive shaft 4 is still transmitted to the companion flange 9 via the torque transmission pin 18b, and both the release members 49,
55 interferes with chuck C and rotates with it. As the detection target piece 57 repeatedly approaches the proximity switch 56 due to the rotation of the lower release member 55, a display device etc. indicates that the checking operation has not been completed based on the electric signal from the switch 56. You can let me know. Thereafter, the lowering of the movable support structure F is stopped, and the cylinder 41 is moved to contract, thereby drawing the upper and lower elevating bodies 38 and 39 to the initial state. As a result, both the release members 49,
55 are both separated from the chuck C and returned to their original states, so the holder 15 is free to bend and is pushed back upward in the figure by the spring force of the disc spring 13. As a result, each chawl 20 moves upward as the holder 15 slides while displacing its respective hook 25 inward, and engages the companion flange 9 of the differential device D with the hook 25. The joint flange 18 is held in pressure contact with the joining flange 18. That is, the companion flange 9 is the joining flange 1.
It is pulled toward the 8 side by the spring force of the disc spring 13.
Therefore, the drive shaft 4 and the drive pinion shaft 10 of the differential device D are firmly connected. In this state, a test regarding differential noise, etc. of the differential device D is conducted, but since this test itself is not directly related to the present invention, a detailed explanation will be omitted. Furthermore, upon completion of the above connection work,
Since the detected piece 57 stops rotating relative to the proximity switch 56, it is possible to confirm that the connection is complete.

Now, when disconnecting the connection, first extend the cylinder 41 again, expand each chuck pawl 20 outward once, and raise the movable support structure F. The joining flange 18 of C and the companion flange 9 are automatically separated.

Thus, everything can be returned to its initial standby state. As is clear from the explanation so far, the drive pinion shaft 1 of the differential device D
0 and the drive shaft 4, the chuck pawl 2 of the chuck C is used to connect the
Since the function of 0 makes a large contribution, even if the axis of the drive pinion shaft 10 is misaligned by about 1 m1 with respect to the drive shaft 4, the connection between the two will be made in a normal centered state. .

In addition to the above-mentioned vertical type with the drive shaft 4 hanging down, there are also horizontal types with the drive shaft 4 extending horizontally as differential testing machines, and the above-mentioned coupling device is used in exactly the same way for both of these. Can be applied. A description of the horizontal embodiment will be omitted, but this is a horizontal configuration of the vertical type, and is virtually the same as the vertical type. However, in the vertical type, a spring 58 is provided at the bearing part of the output shaft 7 to cope with the weight load of the drive shaft 4 (see Figure 2), but in the horizontal type, such a spring is not required. It is. As described above, the present invention provides a connection flange of a chuck provided on the drive shaft of a test drive machine, in contrast to a companion flange provided on the input shaft of a test device on which an evaluation test for abnormal noise etc. is to be performed. By joining the chuck and controlling the chuck by operating the chuck control mechanism, the drive shaft and the input shaft of the machine under test can be quickly and properly connected.

As a result, it is possible to greatly reduce the time required for preparing for a test as well as the labor expended on this work. Moreover, in this invention, when performing an evaluation test for abnormal noises generated by transmitting rotational force from the test drive machine to the test machine, interference of the chuck control mechanism with the chuck is cut off, and the chuck is controlled to be Since the vehicle can be placed in a floating state, it is possible to reproduce conditions close to those of an actual vehicle during testing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an outline of an abnormal noise evaluation test for a differential device;
Figure 2 is a sectional view showing the outline of the coupling device, and Figure 3 is the sectional view of the connection device.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged main part of the figure, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an external perspective view showing the relationship between the holder portion of the chuck and the chuck claw. 2... Test drive machine (motor), 4... Drive shaft, 9
... Companion flange, 9a... Centering recess,
9b...Bolt insertion hole, 10...Input shaft (drive pinion shaft), 15...Chuck C holder, 16...Universal joint, 17...Shaft portion, 18...Joint flange, 18a...centering convex portion,
18b... Torque transmission pin, 20... Chuck pawl, 41... Drive cylinder of chuck control mechanism A, 49
, 55... Chuck release member, A... Chuck control mechanism, C... Chuck, D... Machine under test (differential device), E... Base, F... Movable Support structure.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A test device of the type in which a companion flange having a centering recess and a bolt connection insertion hole is fixed to the end of the input shaft is subjected to a rotational load similar to that when mounted on a vehicle on the fixed base side. A test drive machine and a drive shaft rotated by the drive of the test drive machine are installed on the support structure movable with respect to the base side, and the above-mentioned test drive machine is installed in such a state that it can give an abnormal noise of the machine under test. A device for connecting a drive shaft of a drive shaft to an input shaft of a test machine by regarding the drive machine as an engine of an actual vehicle, wherein a chuck connected to an end of the drive shaft through a universal joint is connected to the movable support structure. A centering convex part that can be joined to the companion flange of the machine under test based on the operation of the machine under test, and a centering convex part that can be fitted into the centering recess of the companion flange, and a torque transmission pin that can be inserted into the bolt insertion hole of the companion flange. a joining flange having The companion flange can be engaged and held from the outer periphery when the companion flange is connected to the flange, and the holder can be released from the companion flange when the holder is compressed and slid against the spring force. It is equipped with a plurality of chuck claws attached to the holder so as to give
On the other hand, the chuck control mechanism provided on the movable support structure is normally arranged in a mechanically separated state without interfering with the chuck, and controls the chuck against the holder against its spring force. a chuck release member that can be abutted to compress and slide the holder; and a drive cylinder that exerts an actuation force independent of the movement of the movable support structure and that applies an abutment force to the chuck release member against the holder. A coupling device used in a rotational transmission system for testing.